Five-lined SkinkPlestiodon fasciatus

Size: 5
- 8 inches

Distribution

Eastern 1/2
of the state. As a juvenile, the five-lined skink has a black
to brown body with five longitudinal stripes and a bright blue tail,
earning it the nickname "blue tail skink". As the
lizard matures, the colors tend to fade and become more drab and it
will usually lose the blue on the tail altogether. Like most
skinks, the five-lined skink is diurnal, prowling around beneath vegetation
for insects during the day. And like many lizards, skinks exhibit
tail autotomy, that is they break their tails off when threatened
or disturbed to escape predation, and regenerate new tails.